INSTANT STYLE.

Pumps have her primed for fall

August 29, 2001|BY MICHELLE CROWE.

September, like January, is usually a month of reassessment. Although, to me, January is all about feeling bad about yourself, while September involves getting new stuff--which is why September is better. I don't think we ever lose that sense of equating back-to-school time with new clothes and the feeling of a fresh start they provide. So this is the ideal time to try something new. The new thing I am trying this year is pumps. I've never been a fan of them. The word "pumps," in my mind, is always linked to the word "sensible."

For years my ideal shoe has been little more than a high heel and a strap. I jumped on the mule bandwagon while still in college, where I had to endure comments such as, "What are those, some new kind of clogs?" But I've stuck by my devotion to mules, slides and slingbacks for years. Then last winter, when it seemed like the snow would never melt, I found myself spending the mornings wondering just what I could put on my feet to avoid frostbite. My regular boots have the same high heels as most of my shoes. Suddenly pumps didn't seem quite so dowdy.

I took my first step toward closed shoes this past weekend. In the spring my beloved camel slingbacks suffered a tragic heel blowout and came back from the repair shop with replacement heels so chunky they look suitable only for wearing to an audition of "A Chorus Line." Browsing at a favorite store turned up the perfect replacement pair. They are a great shade of camel with a wickedly pointy toe and a perfect kitten heel. And they were priced just right.

Of course those pumps have me thinking about getting another pair. This time I'm thinking black patent with a 3-inch heel. Nothing schoolmarmish about that.